The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has revealed that 84 of its members tragically passed away between May and August 2024 due to economic hardships, worsened by unpaid salaries and the increasing cost of living.

This alarming statistic was shared by the union’s president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, during an interview on Channels Television’s program Inside Sources with Laolu Akande.

Professor Osodeke expressed deep concern over the deaths, attributing them to the severe challenges faced by university lecturers across the country.

“In just three months, from May to August, Nigerian universities lost 84 academics.

These deaths are directly linked to the suffering our members are enduring,” he said.

He further criticized the government’s failure to pay lecturers their due salaries under the controversial ‘no-work, no-pay’ policy, which was implemented following the 2022 strike action.

Despite the hardships, many lecturers are still struggling with unpaid salaries, making survival difficult as the cost of living continues to rise.

The ASUU president highlighted the additional burden caused by recent economic policies, such as the fuel price hike and increased electricity tariffs, which have made life even more difficult for academic staff.

“You’re withholding over three months of salaries, and in the same breath, you’ve increased fuel and electricity costs. How are people supposed to cope?” he lamented.

Professor Osodeke emphasized that for Nigerian universities to perform at their best, the government must provide better funding and improve the working conditions of lecturers.

He disclosed that despite his 15 years of service as a professor, his monthly salary is just N420,000, an amount he believes is grossly inadequate for academic staff who are expected to compete with their counterparts globally.

“How can we expect Nigerian lecturers to compete on a global stage when they are not well-paid?” he questioned.

ASUU has been locked in a long-standing dispute with the Federal Government over issues such as improved funding for universities and the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement.

On September 25, 2024, the union issued a 14-day ultimatum, urging the government to resolve these matters, including the release of withheld salaries from the 2022 industrial action.

In 2022, Nigerian universities were shut down for eight months as both academic and non-academic unions went on strike, demanding better welfare packages and improved working conditions.

In response, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari implemented a ‘no-work, no-pay’ policy, freezing lecturers’ salaries during the strike period.

However, in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of four out of the eight months’ withheld salaries, a gesture that has done little to quell ASUU’s demands for full compensation.

The union continues to push for more substantial reforms to prevent further loss of lives and to ensure that Nigerian academics can thrive in a more supportive and fair working environment.

The Federal Government plans to supply the Dangote refinery with up to 400,000 barrels of Nigerian crude oil daily under its naira-for-crude agreement, as reported by Bloomberg. This initiative will be implemented over the next two months, totaling 24 million barrels between October and November 2024.

The deal is expected to enhance the refinery’s operations and significantly impact the local oil market by reducing Nigeria’s crude exports. The Dangote refinery, the largest in Africa, will require 13 to 14 shipments from Nigeria’s typical monthly crude cargo of about 50, potentially lowering national exports to below 1 million barrels per day.

Although some shipments may face delays, the planned supply is much larger than the 255,000 barrels a day the refinery received during the first half of the year. As the refinery approaches full capacity, Nigeria may finally reduce its reliance on costly oil product imports, impacting the West African gasoline and diesel markets.

Police recently visited Chris Pine’s home in response to a suspected false 9-1-1 call. According to TMZ, the Los Angeles Police Department received a report from an anonymous caller claiming to have been sexually assaulted at Pine’s address, but no evidence of a crime was found when officers arrived.

Pine appeared surprised by the police presence and spoke with the officers before they suspected the report was fabricated. When they tried to call the anonymous caller back, he was uncooperative and hung up. Authorities now believe he may not live in California and are investigating further. The caller might face charges for filing a false police report and is linked to three other similar calls. Pine has dealt with false reports in the past, but none led to legal consequences. He previously pleaded guilty to a DUI in New Zealand in 2014, which was later expunged.